During the first century of English settlement of the North American colonies, the settlers found life harsh and difficult. Much the settlers' time and energy was preoccupied with the struggle for survival. Although they brought with them Old World values, institutions and culture, as the settlers adjusted to the New World environment, some of the institutions took hold, others had to modified, others withered away while new institutions were created. By the end of the 17th century, the colonies developed and matured. The colonists took on an appearance native to and reflective of a people of a new land.This fact in and of itself ensured that Anglo-American society, from the beginning, could evolve differently from Europe and England.